Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
13.7
The Basic Functional Model
The current model shows how actors negotiate an agreed internal emotional frame-
work that neither of them can observe directly. This serves in turn as a model of
how they also agree on choices of metaphor and other tropes, as well as creating a
figurative description that both accept as an adequate representation of their feelings.
We further show how the current model reflects these differing effects as numerical
weightings, and discuss the types of experiment that we can carry out to refine the
model.
I will now use a numeric identification instead of the alphabet to distinguish the
model from the above discussion. The starting point for Actors 1, 2 and 3 is they have
no musical experience, having attended no concerts. So we show them as having no
knowledge of what we describe above (Fig.
13.2
) as Triangle Music, Circle Music,
Square Music, and so on. They have no means of communication about the effect
of these virtual compositions because they have no reference points. They cannot
describe reactions in terms of '
more
'or'
less
'
happiness
(for example) because
they have no happiness-concept concerning this music to begin with. The dimension
of experience chosen could be anything, love, hate, anger, happiness, like etc. We
choose the latter just by way of an example.
We show this state of affairs by rating an actor's belief in the effect on others
within the chosen realm of a piece of music. Since belief must never exceed unity,
the maximum value of 1 is distributed evenly over a 7-part scale thus:
[0
.
143
|
0
.
143
|
0
.
143
|
0
.
143
|
0
.
143
|
0
.
143
|
0
.
143]
The choice of a 7-part scale will need an explanation because we refer to these
dimensions as continuous. We have adopted the notion of belief from Addis and
Gooding where it applies only to scientific hypotheses. A hypothesis is a discrete
object drawn from a set of competing hypotheses. In this case a value is treated as
an object drawn from an ordered set of distinct values. Because a centre value is
important, any odd number will suffice. 3 or 5 were rejected as too limited and 9,
11, 13 and beyond as unnecessarily complex for demonstration purposes. 7 can be
seen as a usable compromise. We use 0 to represent no (happiness) and 6 to represent
absolute (happiness). Only the actor itself knows this measure and for now we will
not pursue questions such as “how does it know?”
After experience of a single object our actors can only make absolute statements
like “Triangle Music makes me feel (happy) or (nothing)”, so communication be-
tween actors 1, 2 and 3 is limited to (happiness current), and (happiness absent).
Internally the object will have triggered a degree of (happiness) but it cannot be
expressed. In our model we will represent this personal experience as a belief of 1
for one of the seven positions on the continuum because “it knows what it likes”.
If we communicate with actor 4, who has never attended any concert, then Actor 1,
for example, could tell Actor 4 that the music was of no consequence, or report that “it
should have the experience”. This level of effect is akin to Pierce's 'firstness' where
there is no possibility of further description other than first hand experience. Actors 1,
